[We're going to look at two well reported profiles of Illinois' new Gov. Pat Quinn today (Monday), first this one from The New York Times and next one that ran a couple of days later in The Chicago Tribune. On both, you'll see each starts with a statement about Quinn's first day or two as governor, which serves as the lede for both. In the body of each story, they incorporate a "bio" (short for biography) and talk to different people about what kind of governor they think Quinn will be now. And each concludes with a "kicker" -- a kind of twist at the end.
Read this one first, then go back up to the Trib's. We'll discuss them together in class.]
Here's a profile of Gov. Pat Quinn in Friday's New York Times that's worth looking at for a couple of reasons. For one thing, most Illinoisans don't know much about him. For another, it's pretty accurate. It captures the essence of what the guy's like. I don't much care for the "Gray Lady," as the Times is often (and deservedly) known, but there's some good reporting here by political reporter Susan Saulny. Also, for kind of a bonus, a good picture of the Statehouse press corps sticking microphones and voice recorders in Quinn's face. Don't let his hunted-animal expression fool you. He must be loving this.
Saulny's story is worth studying a little. She uses a summary lede -- a very good one, too, crisp and accurate ... and it leads up to an effective short graf.
CHICAGO — Temperate, unfussy and, at times, so independent that he can be out of the loop, the 41st governor of Illinois could not be any more unlike the man he replaced — the attention-loving showman, Rod R. Blagojevich, who was removed from office on Thursday.Short grafs pack a punch.
And that has a lot of people in Illinois breathing a sigh of relief.
See?
The body of the story fleshes out the thumbnail picture of Quinn in the lede, and it develops the comparison with Blagojevich. Uses a lot of quotes, too. Including one that describes the new governor as "the anti-Blagojevich, for sure."
Look at the way Saulny sandwiches quotes -- from legislators, the former governor and from Quinn himself -- between transitions and explanations. Notice how much more colorful the language is in the quotes than it is in Saulny's transitions. It used to break my heart as a writer to realize it, but the quotes are why readers keep on reading.
That's why I learned to organize my stories as "quote-kebabs" on a skewer.
And look at the end of the story. Saulny uses a "kicker," an all-but-irresistable quote at the end. Here's how she sets it up:
Mr. Quinn said he was not sure whether he would run in 2010, when Mr. Blagojevich’s term ends. As it was, he had not decided what to do when his term as lieutenant governor was up.How could you top that?
One thing he will not do, he said, is let his newfound popularity go to his head.
“You want to know my philosophy?” Mr. Quinn said. “One day a peacock. The next day a feather duster.”
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